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Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia saw troops advance further into enemy territory on Thursday.
The audacious attack by Ukrainian soldiers in tanks and armoured vehicles is the largest attack on Russia since the Second World War.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said forces had moved forward almost a mile in 24 hours with 82 settlements now under Kyiv’s control.
They include the town of Sudhzha, which, with a population of 5,000, is the largest town Ukraine has seized so far in the war.
Kursk’s acting governor, Alexei Smirnov, has now ordered the evacuation of the Glushkovo region, about 28 miles northwest of Sudzha.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky has again hinted at other possible offensive actions on Russian territory.
“We must clearly guarantee at the legislative level that our warriors, who participate, for example, in the Kursk operation and will participate in all our other actions on the territory of the aggressor state, will receive absolutely all payments and benefits designated for the front line,” he said in an address posted on Telegram.
The updates comes as it emerged that British Challenger 2 tanks were playing a crucial role in the incursion.
Ukraine’s powerful 82nd Air Assault Brigade has been operating the British tanks since last year and is confirmed to have been taking part in the Kursk offensive.
Key Points
- Ukraine seize largest town in Russia yet
- British tanks used in Russia incursion
- Ukraine says it has set up a military office in occupied Kursk region
- Ukraine is ‘poking’ Russia to use nuclear weapons - Russian MP
Why can’t Ukraine use Britain’s power Storm Shadow missiles in incursion
It has emerged that British Challenger 2 tanks are being used in Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia.
The Ukraine’s have permission from the Ministry of Defence to use UK weapons on Russian soil as part of Kyiv’s self-defence.
The only exception is Britain’s powerful Storm Shadow missiles, which remain off limits beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said it would be difficult for Britain to authorise without sign-off from other allies.
“The use of Storm Shadows is not entirely independent from other nations’ capabilities,” he said. “With missiles, all missiles, you have to use data, GPS, intelligence, targeting etc. That means that sometimes the use of missiles like Storm Shadows is more collaborative than Ukraine being able to unilaterally use them.”
He added: “You might want to say to Ukraine, ‘Yeah, you can use them,’ but if country B says they cannot use their equipment, then you can’t use them,” he added.
Kyiv takes full control of Russian town of Sudzha, says Zelensky
Ukrainian troops have taken full control of Sudzha, the largest Russian town to fall to Ukraine‘s forces since the start of their cross-border incursion more than a week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky announced yesterday.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was setting up a military command office in Sudzha, which suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term – or just signal Moscow that it may intend to do so. He didn’t elaborate on what functions the office might handle, though he said earlier this week that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents.
Although it had a prewar population of only around 5,000 people, Sudzha is the administrative centre for the border area of Russia’s Kursk region and is larger than any of the other towns or settlements that Ukraine says it has taken since the incursion began on 6 August.
Russia didn’t immediately respond to Kyiv’s claims, but its defence ministry said earlier yesterday that Russian forces had blocked Ukrainian attempts to take several other communities. The surprise Ukrainian incursion has reframed the war and caused chaos in the Kursk region, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv. Mr Zelensky has said one of the reasons for the incursion was to protect neighbouring Ukrainian regions.
“The more Russian military presence is destroyed in the border regions, the closer peace and real security will be for our state. The Russian state must be responsible for what it has done,” he said earlier this week.Russia has seen previous raids of its territory in the war, but the Kursk incursion is notable for its size, speed, the reported involvement of battle-hardened Ukrainian brigades, and the length of time they have stayed inside Russia.
As many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops are involved, according to Western military analysts. The incursion also marks the first time foreign troops have invaded and held Russian territory since Nazi Germany did in the Second World War.
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 06:23 1723784874Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin vow deeper ties
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia in a message to president Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked an anniversary of independence from Japan’s colonial rule, KCNA state news agency reported today.
It was in reply to a message of congratulations from Mr Putin on the 15 August liberation day anniversary where the Russian leader said the bond forged as Soviet soldiers fought against Japan continues to serve as the basis of their ties, KCNA said.
“The friendly feelings of the armies and peoples of the two countries forged and deepened in the bloody struggle against the common enemy serve as a strong driving force for developing... relations of friendship and cooperation into comprehensive strategic partnership and invincible comradeship,” the North Korean leader said.
The remarks came amid accusations by South Korea, Ukraine and the US that Mr Kim is helping Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying rockets and missiles in return for economic and other military assistance from Moscow.
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 06:07 1723784493Russian MP claims Ukrainian incursion could lead to global war
A Russian parliamentary deputy has claimed the “Western-backed” Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia’s Kursk region on 6 August and have since advanced significantly, forcing Moscow to evacuate over 200,000 people from their homes.
“Considering the presence of Western military equipment, the use of Western ammunition and missiles in attacks on civilian infrastructure and irrefutable proof of foreigners’ participation in the attack on Russian territory, one could come to the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a third world war,” RIA quoted deputy Mikhail Sheremet as saying.
Sheremet, who is a member of the Russian parliament’s defence committee, echoed Putin by saying that Nato countries had given a green light to the incursion plans, a charge Washington has denied.
This comes amid remarks from Putin’s aide, Nikolai Patrushev today who accused the West of being behind the attack, in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.
He claimed that the Nato and Western intelligence agencies were involved in planning the Kursk operation, although he provided no evidence.
Ukraine and its allies say Russia is receiving assistance in its war effort from China, Iran and North Korea.
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 06:01 1723783212Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Ukraine’s surprise attack inside Russia is the only way to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as part of a “psychological” tactic to win the war, president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief adviser has told The Independent.
In its most successful move of the two-and-a-half-year conflict, Kyiv has captured more Russian land in the past seven days than Moscow has taken in Ukraine all year.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the top aide to the Ukrainian president, said the incursion had shown Russians the harsh realities of Vladimir Putin’s war.
“We need to use absolutely clear tools to coerce Russia [into negotiation]. One of them is a military instrument of coercion.
Revealed: Ukraine’s plan to force Putin to retreat in shame
Exclusive: Ukraine’s top adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky tells Tom Watling that Western partners knew about their incursion into the Russian Kursk region and details why Moscow must be bullied into a peace negotiation
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 05:40 1723782600British tanks ‘at the forefront of enabling Ukraine to defend itself’ - Sir Ben Wallace
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has hailed the use of British Challenge 2 tanks at the “forefront of enabling Ukraine to defend itself from [Mr Putin’s] illegal invasion”.
He was optimistic about the impact the tanks will have, saying: “If the weapons we supply make a difference in protecting their self-defence, Britain should be satisfied that they are being used.”
British tanks used to drive back Putin’s forces during Ukraine’s Russia incursion
Former defence secretaries Ben Wallace and Malcolm Rifkind praise government for allowing the Challenger 2 tanks to be at the forefront of Ukraine defending itself, and are optimistic about their impact on the battlefield
Alex Ross16 August 2024 05:30 1723781711Lukashenko urges Russia and Ukraine to end war as Kursk incursion continues
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said Russia and Ukraine should negotiate an end to their conflict to avoid the war spilling over into Belarus.
In his propagandistic claim as repeated by his ally Vladimir Putin, Mr Lukashenko said that the West was encouraging Kyiv to fight because it wants Ukraine and Russia to “destroy each other”.
“Let’s sit down at the negotiating table and end this brawl,” he said. “Neither the Ukrainian people, nor the Russians, nor the Belarusians need it. They (the West) need it.”
Belarus was used as a launching ground in the Russian invasion in February 2022. Moscow has said any peace talks should be based on Ukraine ceding land amounting to a fifth of its territory – much of it seized by Russian forces. Ukraine says Kyiv would be prepared for talks provided Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected.
Mr Lukashenko charged that the West was betting that the destabilising situation in Kursk would encourage a troop mobilisation in both Belarus and Russia and “shake up society from within.”
“We don’t want escalation and we don’t want a war against the whole of Nato. We don’t want that,” he said.
But if Ukraine does provoke Belarus, Lukashenko cautioned, “we’ll have no other choice.” The Belarusian leader has positioned himself as a main backer of Putin since the Russian president ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, part of which was staged from Belarusian soil.
Mr Lukashenko referred to the conflict as a “common war” of Belarus and Russia against “those beasts” - Kyiv and its Western allies - and said Moscow would “back us up” if Belarus was attacked.
His comments come as the Ukrainian incursion into Russia expanded further this week. It began last week on Tuesday when thousands of Kyiv’s troops smashed through Russia’s western border in a major embarrassment for Putin’s top military brass.
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 05:15 1723779000People evacuated from Russia’s Belgorod region
Pictures have been issued by the Russian Emergencies Ministry of people evacuated from the Belgorod region after a federal level emergency was declared.
The region, next to Kursk, has already come under attack this year from Ukraine, and now, according to Russian state news agency TASS, 11,000 have been evacuated this week.
Two killed, 12 injured in Russian bomb attacks on Kharkiv
Russian guided bomb attacks killed at least two people and injured 12 others in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, local authorities said.
The strike hit a civilian enterprise in Kupiansk district, the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram.
A warehouse caught fire as a result of the strike, the regional prosecutors said on Telegram, adding that six employees were injured.
Six more people, including a 12-year-old child, were wounded in the Zolochiv village when Russian forces dropped two bombs, the regional police said on Telegram.
Administrative buildings, a kindergarten, and over 20 private homes were damaged in this attack, the police added.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the surrounding region have long been targeted by Russian attacks, and Moscow troops have for months been pummelling Ukraine‘s border regions with highly destructive guided bombs.
Arpan Rai16 August 2024 04:28 1723778378Ukraine touts capture of large group of soldiers inside Russia
Ukrainian special forces captured a group of more than 100 Russian soldiers during Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk said yesterday.
“We conducted a sophisticated operation, as a result of which 102 Russians were captured. We are already thinking in perspective how to make the most of this – to bring our defenders home,” he said on Telegram referring to a possible prisoner swap.
The 102 servicemen of Russia’s 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment and its “Akhmat” unit are the largest group of soldiers to be captured at the same time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, a source in the SBU said.
“They captured and cleared a sprawling, concrete and well-fortified company stronghold from all sides – with underground communications and personnel accommodation, a canteen, an armoury and even a bathhouse,” the source said.
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